Marks of the Soul
by Kishiro Kitsune
Summary: AU. Everyone has a mark somewhere on their body which corresponds to the moment they realize they're in love with their soulmate, commonly referred to as a Soulmark or just a Mark. Even in space, so very far from home, the Paladins find themselves dwelling on their own Soulmarks and what their unusual forms might mean for them.
1. Chapter 1

One year ago, I started watching Voltron and very quickly fell in love with this show. Naturally, I choose now to start a second fic to work on alongside another.  
My plan is to alternate weekends for the chapters, so I don't burn myself out on either fic.

 **Marks of the Soul**

Chapter 1

Lance had been excited to receive his Soulmark from the moment he first understood what it meant. He'd grown up with the whirlwind of excitement that followed any member of his family gaining theirs and couldn't wait for the day he'd be able to proudly show it off to his family. (But _only_ his family. Soulmarks were very private and not meant to be shared with everyone.)

He tried to be patient.

His sister's Mark appeared when she was eleven and both of his brothers gained theirs at twelve, so it only made sense that he would be the same.

Lance's tenth birthday arrived with a stinging pain spreading across his upper right thigh. He threw back his blankets in excitement and then tugged down his sleep pants for a better look at the source of the pain, though he already had a good idea as to what it was.

"Oh," he breathed, reverently brushing a finger against the thin, raised pink lines developing on his skin. It already formed what looked like an elaborate V, though he had a feeling it was far from finished.

He had his Mark.

The Mark that represented his soulmate – his perfect match.

Lance beamed and had enough mind to tug his pants back on before he leaped out of bed and ran to find his mom.

" _Mama!"_

Mama McClain jumped in surprise as her youngest came barreling into the kitchen straight at her. "Lance, what-?"

"My Mark! It's here! Look, look!" Lance could barely stand still as he lowered his waistband, revealing the fresh lines to her. Silver was beginning to swirl inside of the V, almost like the vines of a plant. As they watched, a bloom of blue faded in at the end of one of the silver strands.

He'd never seen one with three colors before.

"What does it mean?" he whispered, glancing up at his mama, who had tears in her eyes as she bowed down and kissed the top of his head.

"You'll understand it when you're meant to, but not a moment before," she reminded him. "But I think it means you'll have a strong bond. One that goes beyond time itself."

Despite her reassuring words, she couldn't help but worry. Soulmarks with three colors weren't unheard of, but they were extremely rare. According to records, it usually meant there was a great trial ahead for one or both of them.

Mama McClain pulled back and smiled at him, determined not to let such thoughts ruin his special day. "Happy Birthday, sweetheart."

* * *

Keith personally didn't see the appeal. He'd spent most of his life ignoring the golden line encircling each of his wrists, like shackles keeping him bound to some mysterious and unwanted fate. So he kept them covered, more because he found them unbearable to look at than because he didn't want anyone else to see.

Unfortunately, it was all anyone ever wanted to talk about at the Garrison. Couples happily displayed theirs in-between classes or whenever it wasn't mandatory that they be in uniform.

Keith ground his teeth and did his best to ignore it, pouring all of his focus into accomplishing his dream and following in his mentor's footsteps.

Meeting Takashi Shirogane was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him. Shiro, as he was best known, had been the first person to draw him out of his shell since his father's death. Others had tried, but they lacked the sincerity of wanting to help him.

But not Shiro.

Shiro made him want to try again. He inspired him to do his best.

Better than that, Shiro didn't want to spend all day talking about those damned Marks. He'd never broached the subject, not even once.

Keith caught glimpses of it from time to time. Whenever they were relaxing in the comfort of their shared room, Shiro liked to push up the sleeves of his shirt. It was those times that Keith could spot a splash of green on his right forearm, just peeking out from under the fabric.

He could live with that.

And in a way, he was a little flattered that Shiro – the best pilot to have ever graced the Galaxy Garrison – trusted him well enough to show that much of his Mark to him. _Him_ , the "troubled youth" who was constantly in trouble with his superior officers for his smart mouth and quick temper, but too good at his studies for them to justify kicking him out of the program.

Keith picked at the band of his gloves as he sat opposite of Shiro.

"Everything alright, Keith?" asked his only friend.

Keith hesitated. There was that impulse to pull off his gloves and show Shiro he trusted him just as much. He almost went for it, but then removed his hand and reached for a textbook instead.

"Just deciding what to work on first," he lied.

Shiro didn't question it.

* * *

Hunk cautiously opened the door to his room, peering inside to see if his roommate had deviated from his routine of spending an hour in the canteen flirting with any girl who looked his way. The room was blissfully empty and Hunk gratefully shed his uniform jacket as he stepped inside and out of the way of the door so it could shut behind him.

If he hurried, he could be changed into something comfortable and halfway through his engineering homework before his roommate barged in and demanded they go do something fun.

Hunk couldn't help but smile as he removed his undershirt as well. Lance was a bit of a goof, but he didn't think he could ask for a better roommate.

There was a beeping sound and click as the lock in the door released and Lance stepped inside, looking dejected. "Hey, budd-"

They both froze in place. Lance's eyes went wide as he took in the heavy yellow-gold lines decorating the entirety of his friend's back. Hunk trembled, knowing what was coming next. No one ever reacted well to seeing such a large Soulmark. It wasn't _normal_.

"Holy crow," Lance whispered. He was the first to unfreeze as he walked into the room. "Hunk? Buddy? You okay?"

Tears stung the corners of his eyes. Hunk tried to brush them off, forcing himself to smile as he turned to face Lance. "H-hey. You're back early," he said, his voice breaking at the end. He wasn't really aware that he was having an anxiety attack until Lance directed him to sit on the bed, keeping his voice low and steady. He stayed within Hunk's sight and didn't touch his friend.

"Hey, you're okay. Just look at me. Just look at Lancey Lance. You're fine, buddy. Just breathe. Take your time."

Hunk sobbed, doing his best to follow his friend's directions. It took a few minutes of unsteady breathing before his tears began to subside and he was able to lift his head and look at Lance.

"Back with me?" Lance asked, his voice warm with kindness. "Sorry I barged in like that. I can knock from now on, if you want."

Hunk lowered his eyes once again and pretended to inspect a tiny spot on his pants. Once more he felt tears begin to form and he cursed himself for being so weak. "You don't have to. You already saw..."

"Oh, yeah," Lance said, his voice faltering. "I mean, I didn't get a good look at it, if that helps? I was a little more worried about you. If it'll help, I'll let you see mine too."

Hunk's brow furrowed in confusion. "See yours?" he repeated. He let out a yelp of surprise when Lance began unbuckling his pants and he quickly reached out to stop him. "Wait!"

"I thought you wanted to see it," Lance said, sounding defensive.

Actually, he _was_ a little curious, but it was hardly the time for that! Or maybe it was? Hunk wasn't sure of anything in that moment.

"You don't think it's weird?" he blurted out instead. "My Mark. It's huge. No one else has ever..."

Lance's frustrated gaze softened as he took his hands away from his belt. "Okay, so it's unique. I'm not going to freak out over something like that when mine has three colors."

Hunk looked up in amazement. He'd heard of Marks having two colors before, but never three. Maybe Lance was right. They were both unique, but that didn't have to be a bad thing. After all, Lance willingly offered to show off his, and they'd only known each other for a few months. Lance wouldn't do that if he thought it was something to be ashamed of.

"Unique," he quietly whispered, put at ease by the word.

* * *

Shiro didn't cry at first. He held himself together through waking up in Keith's childhood home, relaunching into space in a giant blue cat, and running around to find _other_ giant colorful cats before fighting an approaching warship in the form of a giant robot made up of all of those cats. He had a team of cadets and the princess of a lost kingdom looking to him for guidance and he couldn't afford to break down in front of them.

But alone in the room given to him by Princess Allura, everything came rushing up to consume him. All of his guilt, his anxiety, his utter terror – he gave into it and for the first time in a very long time, he sat down and cried.

He cried for his missing crew. For dragging four teenagers into the middle of a ten-thousand year old war. For nearly a year of lost time. For his right arm.

For his Soulmark.

He stared at the prosthetic arm, his heart heavy. Where green numbers once wrapped around his forearm, there was only metal. Blank, empty metal.

His vision blurred the longer he stared, until a fresh wave of tears spilled over to flow down his cheeks. He knew he should look away. The sight of it would only make him feel worse.

A knock at the door had Shiro frantically wiping his eyes, trying his best to look presentable for whoever was paying him a visit. His body felt like it was made of stone as he stood and walked to the door.

He wasn't terribly surprised to find Keith on the other side. The younger man was staring a his feet, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

"Is something wrong?" Shiro asked, hoping his voice wouldn't betray his feelings. Keith didn't need that kind of burden, especially when he was clearly seeking Shiro out for help with his own problems.

"No. I just... We didn't have time to talk before..." Keith vaguely waved his hand around as he finally looked up. There was an extended pause as he got a good look at Shiro's face. "Are you alright?"

Shiro fought to keep his gaze steady, but couldn't help the slightest wince as Keith's eyes fell to his prosthetic limb. "I will be fine. It's a lot to take in in one day."

"Well, yeah, I just meant..." Keith made a soft, frustrated sound as he began picking at the band of his right glove. "Marks are just a physical representation. Even if they're gone, the bond doesn't go with it."

It was the first time Shiro had ever heard Keith bring up the topic. That alone startled him more than the fact his friend had taken the time to look up such a thing. And for the first time, he found himself struggling to find the right words.

In the end, he reached out with his left hand and rested it on Keith's shoulder. "Thank you, Keith."

* * *

Matt had always joked that her unusual Mark meant that her soulmate was an alien, and she had to admit, it was kind of fun to imagine.

What kind of person was her match? And if they were, by chance, an alien, what would they look like? Were there aliens who looked like humans or were vaguely human-like? Or were they simply human, like her, and dreamed of the possibilities beyond their galaxy?

When Matt and her father went missing, she didn't think about that as much. Or at all. Every ounce of her focus went towards finding out the truth of what really happened on the Kerberos mission, no matter what the consequences were.

And there _were_ consequences.

Getting caught and then banned from the Galaxy Garrison.

Hiding her identity to sneak into the Garrison as a male student.

Giving up her dream of being a pilot.

Distancing herself from her peers.

Not being able to contact her mom, for fear of being discovered.

All of that, to find out she had been _right_ all along and the Garrison was covering up the truth! Everything fell into place for her the night Shiro crash landed back on Earth, sparking an unexpected escape through the desert on a complete stranger's hoverbike, which then led to them finding an alien spacecraft hidden underground.

Pidge hadn't even had time to stop and admire the beauty of space before she was flung headfirst into a ten-thousand year old war and told she would pilot her own robot lion.

Space was nothing like she'd imagined.

It was even better.

The sheer exhilaration of flying the massive mechanical cat, even through very real and terrifying danger, was light-years beyond her wildest dreams. It made her feel as though she could do the impossible – like find her missing family in the vast reaches of the universe.

But in the quiet of her new room, with her unusual Soulmark glowing a faint purple in the darkness, all of that faded away. She lay in bed, tracing the symbol on her chest, and felt like crying.

"Maybe Matt was right," she whispered to herself. "Maybe my soulmate really is an alien."

Suddenly, the old joke was a very real possibility and Pidge wasn't sure how to handle that new complication in her life.

She rolled over, tugging the covers around her tightly to cover the glow, and tried to get some sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lance felt his heart threaten to stop the first time he saw the emblem across the chestplate of the armor Princess Allura instructed them to wear. It was exactly like his Soulmark – that strange 'v' shape with a cut-out in the center.

Blue. Red. Black. Green. Yellow.

But not pink.

He didn't have time to consider the possibilities of what that meant until much later when he was alone in his new room. (An unfamiliar room, on a equally unfamiliar alien ship, somewhere in space and very very far from the home he knew and loved.)

The Voltron Lions were five colors, but not one of those was pink. It also wasn't a color he could see himself associating with his fellow paladins under any circumstance. Did that mean there was another Lion out there somewhere? Or that one day there would be another? Or-

Lance went cold as his thoughts took a swift turn into darker territory.

They were in the middle of a war, there was no denying that. They were firmly involved. And people... people didn't always survive wars. There was no guarantee that any of them would. And if something happened to one of them, they wouldn't be able to form Voltron with only four Lions.

Lance didn't want to see anyone die.

Not Hunk, the best friend he'd ever had and one of the kindest people he'd ever met.

Not Pidge, who was still kind of a mystery to him, but who seemed like a pretty cool guy when he relaxed a little.

Not Shiro, who he'd looked up to ever since his orientation at the Galaxy Garrison, after he gave an inspiring speech to all of the hopeful new students.

Not even Keith, who was kind of a pain in the ass.

Meeting his Soulmate would never be worth the cost of losing one of them. And even though Lance had dreamed of meeting them ever since he was old enough to understand what his Mark meant, he swore he'd do everything he possibly could to keep his friends safe. Even if that meant he'd never meet his Soulmate.

His heart ached painfully at the thought.

Lance curled up under the blankets and tried not to cry at the injustice of it all.

* * *

Lance didn't remember anything about Sendak's takeover of the ship, which only made sense when he'd spent the majority of that time unconscious. It made waking up to the sound of the pod doors releasing more than a little disorienting.

He stumbled over to his friends, who were huddled together nearby. "You guys having a clock party?"

The next thing he knew, he was being crushed against Hunk as his best friend hugged him. He grunted as the air was knocked from his lungs.

"Glad to see you back on your feet, Lance," Shiro said.

Lance made a humming sound as the others began to talk, filling him in on everything he missed while he was out. He remained slumped against Hunk, more than comfortable to stay where he was until he could fully focus again.

Man, he _never_ wanted to be in one of those sleep chambers again. He felt like he did the one time he stayed up for twenty-nine hours to study, set an alarm for an hour-long nap, and then woke up feeling worse than he would have if he'd just stayed up.

He reached up to run a hand through his short hair, but froze at the sight of long white sleeves covering his arm. He looked down at himself to find that someone had put him into an all-white bodysuit.

If he didn't have Hunk supporting him, Lance was sure he would have fallen over.

Someone had seen his Soulmark. There was no way they couldn't have.

"Who... who put me in this?" he asked quietly.

Hunk shifted Lance's arm up around his neck so he could continue to help him stand. "Coran and I did once we got back with the crystal," he explained, keeping his voice low enough for only Lance to hear "I, uh, had to tell him about Soulmarks first, but I think he got it."

"He didn't see?"

Hunk shook his head. "Not even a peek."

Lance relaxed. It was one thing for Hunk to see – he'd willingly showed him after accidentally getting an eyeful of Hunk's – but as cool as Coran seemed, he _really_ didn't feel comfortable with him, or anyone else, seeing it.

"Well, you must be hungry after your session in the pod. Why don't we get you some food and finish getting you caught up on what you've missed?" Allura offered with a kind smile.

"Food? Talking? Are you asking me out on a date?"

It was easy to fall back into his "suave, lover-boy Lance" routine, earning himself a round of groans from his fellow paladins and an eye-roll from the princess.

* * *

Worry for Lance aside, there was only one thing on Hunk's mind, and that was Shay.

But not in the way everyone wanted to tease him for. (Not that he was entirely opposed either. It was complicated!) His trip to the Balmera had opened his eyes more than any of the fighting or training they'd been put through so far. Seeing the way Shay and her people were treated...!

Hunk clenched his hands as Allura announced they would be arriving in less than ten doboshes.

"Hey," Lance murmured, nudging him with his elbow to better get his attention. "You okay, man? I've never see you this fired up about something. This Shay girl must be someone special."

It was hard to get annoyed when Lance's teasing felt so... _flat._ Unnatural. Like he was just following a script he had no real emotional investment in. Usually Lance would follow that line with a wink and a cheesy statement like "an out-of-this-world girl for the guy with the out-of-this-world Mark!" but there was nothing that followed.

"Lance? Are _you_ okay?" Hunk asked cautiously.

Lance blinked and looked away from the main viewing screen. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? Because of Nyma? You know I've had girls do way worse than that before."

Hunk doubted that anything could come close to having a giant robot Lion stolen, especially when said robot was part of the universe's last remaining hope to fight the Galra, but he wasn't going to argue with him. If Lance wanted to sulk over his failed attempt at wooing an alien girl, he'd let him. His friend would bounce back before long.

"But seriously, Hunk, you gotta introduce me to your girl."

There it was. That familiar teasing grin, followed by a playful nudge that had Hunk rolling his eyes and trying hard not to smile. "She's not my anything. She's just Shay. And she – all of the Balmeran's – need our help."

For once in his life, Hunk was in a position to help someone. He would use all of his strength to be the best pilot of a giant robot lion that he could be if it meant stopping the suffering of innocent people like Shay. He wouldn't stand by and watch helplessly.

"To your Lions, Paladins!" Allura instructed as the Balmera came into view.

There was no time to say anything else as the five of them leaped into action.

* * *

Sleep didn't come easy to Keith. Most since since arriving in the Castle, he found himself laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling or doing light exercise in his room. When that wasn't enough to keep his mind occupied, he took to wandering the halls. Learning his way around the Castle was usually enough to put his overactive mind at ease.

It was also how he had his first actual conversation alone with Pidge.

He came across his one night in one of the many unused rooms, sitting on the steps that led down to the center, where a podium stood. Stars and a familiar moon were projected overhead, casting her in pale light.

The door slid shut with a loud 'click', startling her from her thoughts.

"Sorry," Keith apologized when Pidge twisted around to see who was disturbing her. "I didn't mean – I'll go. You probably want to be alone."

"You don't have to go," she said so quietly he almost missed it. "Stay?"

He almost didn't. He was bound to make things awkward if he stayed, just like he always did. The only person he routinely managed not to make a fool of himself in front of was Shiro and he still how wasn't sure how he pulled that off.

Despite his hesitance, Keith soon found himself sitting down next to her and tilted his head back to get a better view of the projected sky. "This is... the view from Earth?"

"Uh huh. I found this room a few days ago and figured out how to use it. It's kind of comforting," Pidge said.

Keith was silent for a few minutes before he spoke again. "I haven't done anything like this since before Kerberos. Whenever things got to be too much at the Garrison, Shiro used to sneak me up to the roof and we'd stargaze together. I always liked that."

Pidge smiled. "Matt and I used to do the same at home. When we were little, we weren't allowed to go up there by ourselves, but we did it anyway. We'd sit on the roof for hours and Matt would make up stories until I fell asleep."

"That sounds nice," Keith said.

"It was." Pidge's smiled slipped. "I miss him."

Keith didn't have to think too hard to know what to say. It was what he needed to hear someone tell him when Shiro went missing. "You're going to find him, Pidge. You're going to find them _both_. And I'll help. However I can."

Pidge whipped her head around to stare at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "You'd do that?"

"We're a team. Teammates help each other."

Pidge was quiet for long enough that he looked over to make sure she was okay. Her soft smile nearly made him forget how to breathe.

"Thank you, Keith."


	3. Chapter 3

I ended up summarizing more events than I really like to do, but this chapter I ended up making a few more changes to canon...

* * *

Chapter 3

 _Shiro ran through the darkness, his chest tight as he struggled to breathe. Ahead of him was the outline of a figure, always on the verge of fading from sight. He couldn't think of their name, but he knew who they were._

" _Please, wait!" he tried to yell, but his voice came out as nothing more than a whisper. He tried again and there was no sound. His body felt as though it was moving in slow motion; as if there was some unseen force holding him still._

 _The figure vanished into inky darkness as Shiro reached out to them. And then his vision went black._

* * *

"MATT!" he screamed as he woke, jolting up out of bed, his right arm still outstretched. He sucked in gulps of air as he dropped his arm, struggling to get it together.

It wasn't the first time he'd been awoken by a nightmare, nor was it the worst. It wasn't even the first time he found himself crying out for Matt. Most of his nightmares seemed to revolve around his friend more than they did Commander Holt, maybe in part because of Pidge's resemblance to her brother.

Shiro's heart slowly calmed and he laid back down to try and get back to sleep, but after several minutes of tossing and turning, trying to will himself to stop moving around, he gave up. It didn't matter that it was three vargas earlier than he normally started his day. It was clear that sleep wouldn't come easily to him that night. With that knowledge, he rolled out of bed and got straight into his morning exercises.

The routine helped him settle. The familiarity of the movements gave him time to relax and clear his head, letting his body do all of the work.

He had to believe that Matt was alive, wherever he was. His nightmares were just that – nightmares. They weren't real.

 _Except for when they were_ , whispered the fearful part of his subconscious.

His time in the cryo pod had unlocked buried memories, so what was to say that his dreams since then didn't also have some basis in reality? Maybe he'd repressed more than he wanted to admit, unable to handles the horrors of what he'd witnessed. Maybe Sendak was right. He really was broken. His dreams were his mind's way of trying to tell him the truth.

"No!" Shiro growled to himself, the idea so abhorrent that he couldn't bring himself to consider it any longer. His arms strained as he pushed himself up and held the position. "Matt's alive. I know he is."

He was strong. Just like Pidge. And they would find him.

Shiro lowered himself to the floor and then rolled over onto his back, giving his arms a moment to rest. He needed something more productive to do than working himself into exhaustion. Maybe Coran was awake and needed help with something.

* * *

Pidge felt time slow to a crawl when she first noticed it. All of her excitement over getting to view the technology used to create the space pocket was sucked from her body in a single swoop.

There was no mistaking the symbol emblazoned on the pommel of Ulaz's sword.

It was the same as the one she bore on her chest.

She wanted to ask. Needed to. But she couldn't find the breath to do so and before she could snap herself out of the daze she found herself in, Keith was asking about it instead.

And then they were under attack.

Shiro ordered them back to the Castle and into their Lions and all five paladins set out to square off against a new, powerful enemy.

Pidge's heart sank when they saw Ulaz take off in his ship, fleeing from the fight, but she couldn't dwell on her lost opportunity for answers. And besides, Ulaz was likely headed to the Blade of Marmora headquarters, which was where they would be going once they found out how Zarkon was tracking them. They would meet again.

For the moment, she had to focus on the battle.

In the end, not even Voltron was strong enough to defeat the Robeast on his own.

Ulaz returned, his tone determined as he flew straight at Haggar's monstrous creation, and Pidge realized all at once what he intended on doing.

"Wait!" she screamed, wrenching away her connection to Voltron, forcing them all to separate back to individual Lions with yells of shock.

"Pidge, what are you doing?!" Keith demanded.

"Ulaz, you can set the activation for the space pocket on a timer, I saw it! Do that and then eject from your ship. I'm coming to get you!" Pidge said, ignoring hr friends as she directed her Lion toward Ulaz as fast as she could.

All she could think was that they _couldn't_ lose Ulaz. He had the answers to so many questions – and not just her own.

"Pidge, come back! You'll never clear the blast in time!" Keith tried to reach her.

Pidge closed her eyes, urging her Lion to move faster. "I have to try," she murmured.

The Green Lion let out a roar as Ulaz ejected from her ship and she caught him in her jaws before spinning and blasting away from the Robeast as it began to crumple in on itself.

"C'mon, Green," Pidge murmured.

Keith was right. They couldn't get far enough away in time.

The blast rocked through Green, sending her flipping through space, power knocked down to her reserves. Pidge's stomach tried its best to rebel as she held on, struggling to keep herself from knocking into anything in the cockpit.

"...idge! _Pidge!"_ Shiro's voice was the first to come through as her Lion collided with something and came to an abrupt stop. "Can you hear me? Are you okay? Did you get Ulaz?"

She groaned in response, praying she wouldn't throw up the moment she opened her mouth. "I'm... I'm okay. I'll need some help getting back to the Castle though. My Lion has completely powered down on me. And Ulaz..."

As if on cue, the door behind her slid open and Ulaz stepped into the cockpit. He clutched tenderly at his side, but looked well otherwise. Pidge let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Ulaz is okay too. I've got him. He may need a healing pod."

"I'll make sure one is prepared," Shiro promised, before moving on to direct the rest of the team. "Lance, Hunk, help Pidge back. Keith, go ahead of us and let Coran and Allura know what's happening."

Pidge felt her Lion begin to move as she was lifted up by the Blue and Yellow Lions' and towed towards the Castle. Their continued silence spoke volumes about how they felt about her little stunt.

"Thank you, Paladin," Ulaz spoke up after a few minutes.

"Not going to tell me how 'foolish' I am for risking my life?" Pidge asked, honestly expecting that to be the next thing he'd say. It was what she was about to hear from everyone else at the Castle of Lions – and it was a lecture she knew she deserved. It _was_ a foolish, rash decision.

Ulaz came to a stop next to her, looking pained even as he took it slow. "I could, but I sense you already understand that. I will leave that up to Shiro and the princess. Besides, I cannot help but feel grateful. If not for you, I would not still be here. If my Mate were here, he would thank you as well."

"Mate? Like a soulmate?"

"Precisely that. Humans have a similar concept, correct? You call them Soulmarks?" Ulaz asked.

Pidge shrugged. "Kind of. Soulmarks are just how we know when we've fallen in love with our soulmate. Or, well... it's more complicated than that," she tried to explain.

Ulaz nodded in understanding.

So, Galra had soulmates, just like humans. Pidge didn't find that reassuring. If her Mark meant she was destined to fall for someone in the Blade of Marmora, like she was beginning to assume, that meant her soulmate was a Galra.

The thought was... unsettling.

The Blue and Yellow Lions' carefully deposited her in her hangar and then flew off to their own. Even as Green's power flickered back to life, helped along by the energy the Castle put off, the comms remained silent.

The thought of remaining in her Lion was a tempting one, but Ulaz's laborious breathing had her getting up the moment Green lowered her head to let them leave. His health was more important than trying to avoid getting yelled at.

She would get him to a healing pod and then face the team.

* * *

Keith waited alone for Ulaz to be healed. He stood near the pod, fighting the impulse to take out his dagger and stare at the symbol on the pommel. The symbol that was identical to the one on Ulaz's blade. The symbol which signified a member of the Blade of Marmora.

There was so much he wanted to ask. So much he was _afraid_ to ask – to finally learn the answers to after so many years of searching. It would change everything.

His thoughts strayed to Pidge and her surprising determination to keep Ulaz from dying. He had questions for her as well. Or rather, one big question.

 _Why?_

What was the reason she decided to disconnect from Voltron like that? He'd felt her brief spark of fear right before then, but why was she afraid of losing Ulaz? Why did she take such a risk? Was it because he possibly knew where her father and brother were taken?

He felt like there was a giant chunk of puzzle pieces missing, preventing him from seeing the whole picture.

Keith sighed as he found himself turning his blade over in his hands. The hilt and pommel were carefully wrapped up to prevent anyone from seeing the symbol there, but part of him knew Ulaz would know what it was either way.

The pod doors hissed open and Keith braced himself, unable to bring himself to do anything else. For a moment, there was only silence.

"I was not aware we had a member as young as you are," Ulaz spoke, his voice lethargic as he fought off the remnants of the aftereffects of the healing pod.

"I'm not. I... I've had it for as long as I can remember," Keith said, staring down at the blade in his hands. He heard footsteps approach and looked up, seized by the sudden desperation to know. "How did this get all the way to Earth? Please, I have to know!"

Ulaz held out one hand, his expression as unreadable as ever. "May I?"

Keith reluctantly handed it over and watched as Ulaz carefully undid the wrappings to reveal the glowing symbol of the Blade of Marmora. He looked it over for what felt like a lifetime before handing it back.

"You bear a great resemblance to your mother, Krolia. That blade you carry once belonged to her."

"My mother," Keith repeated, feeling faint.

His mother was an alien.

It was something he'd began to suspect shortly after their arrival at Arus and the Castle of Lions, but to hear it stated so matter-of-factly...

"Do you know where she is? Is she alive?" Keith asked.

"I am unsure. My leader would know, but it is not information he will freely give. It will take time for him to trust you with such knowledge," Ulaz warned.

"I'll do whatever I have to do," Keith said without hesitance.

Ulaz gazed at him for a moment and then nodded. "Very well. Once we discover how Zarkon is tracking this ship, I will take you to our headquarters."

* * *

Everything was a mess and yet, somehow, still going according to plan. Keith had a moment of panic when he almost couldn't talk Thace into leaving with him, but luckily the undercover Marmora agent listened the moment Ulaz's name came up. They escaped together, with just enough time to avoid getting hit by the explosion they intentionally caused.

Before Keith could start to worry about being stuck floating in space, the Red Lion swooped in and collected him and Thace, whisking them away in time to form Voltron and follow Zarkon's main ship through the massive wormhole.

He honestly thought it would be smooth sailing from there.

Zarkon's fleet was down. His ship rendered powerless.

 _They_ had Voltron, the most powerful weapon in the universe. Nothing could compare to that.

Except, perhaps, the excruciating pain of having quintessence drained by use of magic. Or watching that same magic strike the Castle of Lions with enough force to break completely through the particle barrier and strip it of all power, leaving it to drift, lifeless.

Or worse than that, believing the battle to be won, only to return to the Castle and find Shiro _missing_ from the Black Lion after delivering the final blow to Zarkon.

Keith's hands shook as he picked up the black bayard. He held onto it tightly; the only thing remaining of Shiro.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Thace found himself struggling to keep up with the young Marmoran as they dashed through the Castle they'd landed in. He clutched at his wound with one hand, hoping he could hold out until he could get proper healing. It throbbed with every step he took, slowly growing larger and larger.

It didn't take long for him to figure out why Keith was in such a rush. The slumped over form of the Black Lion told him all he needed to know – its Paladin was hurt, or worse.

Thace stopped a respectful distance away, watching as the other three paladins joined the one in red and they all boarded the Lion. Within minutes, there were more hurried footsteps behind him and he turned to face the newcomers, hoping they would recognize him as an ally.

He saw Kolivan first. His leader's imposing form was a welcome sight on a ship full of strangers. The pair next to him could only be the Alteans who had Zarkon so furious. And behind them...

"Ulaz?" Thace whispered the name, staring at his Mate's tall form as though he was looking at a ghost. He'd heard of the Thaldycon outpost and had assumed the worst, yet there he was.

Ulaz stared back at him, his mouth open slightly in surprise.

Kolivan looked mildly amused as he motioned for the Alteans to move out of the way, just in time for Thace to unfreeze and dart past them to get to Ulaz. His Mate eagerly wrapped his arms around him, keeping him close as they both basked in the feeling of being together again after so many years apart.

"I have missed you," Ulaz murmured.

The tightness in Thace's chest eased the longer he stayed pressed up against him. It really had been too long. "I heard about your base. I thought I'd lost you."

"You almost did," Ulaz admitted, his voice heavy with guilt. "The green one saved me. Just as the red one saved you."

Thace winced. He'd hoped no one else would learn about that. The injury he received from the druids was one that would cause a slow, painful death without the right treatment. At the time, death by explosion sounded like the better option.

"He is young to wield a blade," Thace said, changing the subject.

"Kolivan put him through the Trial and he passed, with no training or guidance from us. He is... an unusual cub."

Thace was aware of movement nearby and turned his head to watch the paladins disembark from the Black Lion, each of them with grave expressions. He focused on Keith in particular. There was something familiar about him, but he couldn't place why. He'd certainly never seen him before their meeting on Zarkon's main ship.

His wound throbbed in agony and he clung to Ulaz as his knees buckled beneath him.

Ulaz swore as he found himself supporting his Mate's full weight. "Thace! You should have said something!"

"You distracted me from the pain."

Ulaz refused to be flattered by that and soon Thace found himself swept up off of his feet and whisked away to be healed. As they spun around to go, he caught sight of Keith's expression flickering from pure distress to something more like distressed confusion just long enough for him to place _why_ he looked so familiar.

"Krolia?" he asked quietly.

Ulaz nodded.

Thace let his head fall against Ulaz's shoulder with an amused huff. "That explains a few things."

He had a feeling they would be keeping a very close eye on the cub.

* * *

Lance felt as though he hadn't slept in months.

Eight days had passed since Shiro vanished from the Black Lion. Eight days of being tormented by nightmares – when he actually managed to fall asleep, that was. Eight days of watching Keith frantically search, snapping at anyone who dared suggest he take a break. Eight days of Pidge staring unblinkingly at a screen, using every tool at her disposal to try and determine the place Shiro had most likely ended up. Eight days of Hunk stress baking when he wasn't attempting to help Pidge. Eight days of Allura struggling to keep her composure without Shiro by her side to lift some of the burden from her shoulders.

Zarkon was defeated, but the empire remained, and so Voltron was still needed. There wouldn't be a return to Earth in the near future.

There was still so much they had to do. So much he hadn't considered.

Real life was never as easy as things were in stories. It wasn't as simple as "and so the heroes beat the bad guys and went home to live happily ever after". There were planets still enslaved – full of people who needed their help. They were the only ones who could help.

"Ah, Lance! There you are!" Coran said as he popped his head into the room. Even he was sporting dark circles under his eyes. "Princess Allura would like to see you on the bridge. She and Kolivan have come up with a plan for freeing several nearby planets in this system."

Lance slowly got up, his body protesting the simple movement. "Sure thing. I'll be right up."

He couldn't even muster up the energy to be excited about Allura specifically requesting him. And while he doubted he'd find any of his old enthusiasm while Shiro was missing, he knew he had to try. Everyone had a role to play. Maybe his was boosting team morale?

* * *

Keith storming out at the very first coalition dinner didn't come as a surprise to anyone. To tell the truth, they'd all been wondering when the explosion would happen after it had spent so long building up.

It didn't make it any easier to see him in such pain.

Pidge wanted to follow the moment he stood up. Some part of her demanded it, but she didn't. Couldn't. She sat there with her head bowed, trying to stay strong for the sake of the team and to show their new allies she could keep her cool when things got hard.

From the corners of her eyes, she could see Thace slip out of the room after Keith. She wasn't sure why, but he and Ulaz had made it their personal mission to watch out for him. Knowing that one of them was going to try and help let her relax for the last few doboshes of the dinner, which felt as though it dragged on forever.

The moment she was able, she left to track them down. It wasn't hard to find him, especially with a little help from the Castle's built-in sensors.

"...don't know if I believe in any of that anyway."

Pidge paused outside of the door at the sound of Keith's voice.

"Even Galra have Soulmates. It isn't something that we're given a choice in and platonic relationships are not unheard of. Are you certain you and Shiro are not-?"

"We're not," Keith said firmly. "I know we aren't. And I don;t want him to be. Soulmates... they _leave_ and that's it. That's the end. There's no coming back from that. I'm not..." He huffed angrily. "I don't need a Soulmate. I'm fine on my own."

"You would deny the bond?" Thace asked, his voice rumbling with disapproval.

Keith's response was too quiet for Pidge to hear. She slowly backed away from the door, unsure of how to process what she'd accidentally overheard. It was something unthinkable, to deny a bond with your Soulmate. But at the same time...

Had she not had similar thoughts, upon learning her own was likely a member of the Blade of Marmora – and a Galra?

But what did Keith mean about Soulmates leaving?

Pidge frowned. She had a startling lack of knowledge about her fellow Arm of Voltron and she'd never really considered it a problem. He was just _Keith –_ kind of a hot-head, but reliable and a decent conversation partner in the late hours of the night, long after everyone else had gone to sleep. But _what else_ did she know?

He'd known Shiro for ages, that much had been obvious from the start. It was easy to see why someone would look at the close bond they shared and assume that they were Soulmates. She'd thought so too, at first, but all of those late-night conversations had her seeing that wasn't it at all. He had a great deal of respect and admiration for Shiro and there was no doubting the love they shared, but they weren't Soulmates.

Family. Shiro was his family. Like a brother. Like her and Matt.

There was something else about family. Tidbits she'd picked up on, but never dared to ask about. Stuff that felt too much like taboo.

Keith was part Galra, which meant one of his parents was Galra. He'd mentioned looking for family when they were discussing their plans for once they defeated Zarkon. If Keith's missing parent had left when he was younger – if they'd left behind their Soulmate and child...

What happened to the one left behind?

* * *

It was like being flung through the air and slammed into a wall hard enough to knock all of the breath from his lungs.

Allura stood before him, looking somewhat unsure as she held her helmet in her hands. Her armor – crafted for her new role as the Paladin of the Blue Lion – was something unexpected. Normally, Lance would have been thrilled that she'd picked _him_ to be the first person to see her in it, but the sight of that symbol across her chest left him frozen.

Pink.

It was _pink_.

The same shade as the Mark imprinted on his thigh.

Pink for her armor.

Silver-white for her hair.

Blue for the Blue Lion.

He should have been delighted! There she was, even more incredible than he could have dreamed – his Soulmate.

 _Allura was his Soulmate!_ He wanted to shout it from the top of the Castle spires! He wanted everyone to know he'd finally found her! He wanted to tell her, to open his heart up to the bond they were meant to share!

But how could he when he only found out because of the horrible situation they were in?

Found only because Shiro was gone. Found because they had to pick a new Black Paladin. Found because when Keith stepped up to lead, _he_ was chosen by the Red Lion, and then Allura was welcomed by Blue.

All because Shiro was gone.

Lance wouldn't cry. He would stay strong. It was important for Allura and he wasn't going to ruin her moment.

"Pink, huh?" he asked, hoping she couldn't tell how shaken he was.

One day he would be able to tell her, but it wasn't that day.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was another sleepless night for Pidge.

Things had settled in the Castle since Shiro's return, but she felt more restless than ever. There had to be more for her to do than hand out supplies to the refugees or make appearances at the newly freed planets.

Not that either of those things was unimportant! All of those people were part of the reason why they were fighting against the Galra, but it would take time and effort before they were truly free of Zarkon's tyrannical reign. Pidge was willing to do whatever was necessary for them to survive and thrive, even if it meant more choreographed shows and handing out supplies to those in need of them.

Pidge left her room without much thought, her bare feet silent against the floor. She moved on autopilot, her path first taking her to a room just a few doors away. She knocked, not too loud, and the door slid open.

"Keith?" she asked, peering into the dimly lit room.

There was no one there. Only Keith's red jacket, handing on a hook next to the door. Her shoulders slumped as she stood there for a moment longer, almost as if waiting for him to appear, and then she turned and slowly walked away, heading towards her original destination – the projection room.

She barely had to press her hand against the console in the center of the room before everything around her was awash in soft starlight. The sight of the Milky Way galaxy put her mind at ease as she settled at her usual spot on the floor and drew her legs up against her chest. She sat there, in silence, letting her mind wander, never staying on one thought for long.

Until...

Pidge sighed, lowering her eyes and letting her forehead rest against her knees. "I wish you were here. I miss talking to you. You... you never seemed to mind when I'd ramble on about something. You always knew when I needed to just... talk without an actual goal in mind. And when I did need to focus, you knew when to remind me."

The first heavy tear dripped down her face and soaked into the sleeping gown she wore, followed by another. And then even more, easily sliding down the path left by the first.

"Where are you, Keith?"

* * *

Everything was changing so fast.

When she first woke after ten-thousand years of slumber, Allura never would have imagined learning to trust any Galra after Zarkon's betrayal, but there they were, forging a strong alliance with the Blade of Marmora. It took some time, but she trusted Kolivan.

Allura sighed as she set down her hairbrush. She stared at her reflection without really seeing, lost too deep in thought. The mice scurried about the top of her dresser, trying to help her get ready for the day.

Things had been... _different_ since Shiro's return. Allura couldn't put her finger on exactly why, but it was as though something had shifted out of balance.

It was more than just the Black Lion's sudden refusal to accept Shiro as her paladin. It was more than Keith's continued refusal to step up and lead. (Granted, that was made more difficult with Shiro's struggle to _let_ Keith lead.) Those things were a big part of their shifting dynamic, but there had to be more to it than that.

And then there was Lance.

Lance, who had every chance to use one of his infamous lines on her as they worked closely together on various shows and providing support to the newly freed planets, but hadn't used a single one on her in...

How long _had_ it been?

Allura couldn't remember the last time he flirted with her. It must have been before Shiro disappeared. Before their great battle against Zarkon. Before Keith learned of his heritage.

Something nudged against her hand and she looked down to see Platt offering a pin for her hair.

"Why, thank you. I suppose I got a little lost in thought," Allura said with a smile. "Would you four mind lending me a hand with it today? You do a much better job than I can."

She got four happy squeaks as the mice got to work. They climbed up her arms and began to wrap her hair up into a neat and tidy bun, easily pinning it into place.

She could feel their questions – not quite in words like everyone thought, but more like specific feelings. Chuchule was the most vocal that morning, voicing curiosity over what had Allura so distracted.

"It's Lance, actually," Allura said. "I've enjoyed working with him the past few weeks. He's actually kind of sweet when he isn't being obnoxious."

Chuchule's next remark was something more teasing; a wonder if Allura wasn't starting to develop feelings for the current paladin of the Red Lion.

Allura's cheeks went pink at the idea. "Don't be ridiculous! I only meant that it's pleasant to be around him. I feel like I have a friend. I've... I've never really had that."

The mice scurried back down to the top of the dresser, finished with their hairstyling. Chulatt squeaked out their own teasing comment about Allura being in denial and then all four mice were racing off, escaping before she could get out a flustered protest.

"I am not!" Allura shouted after them, her cheeks still tinted pink. She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

They were _friends_ and that was all she needed – all she wanted. After all, her Soulmate, whoever they may have been, died long ago when Altea was destroyed. Whoever Lance shared a bond with, it wasn't her.

She shook her head and stood up straight. She didn't have time for such thoughts. There was work to do.

* * *

Pidge struggled to breathe as her chest tightened and more tears threatened to fall.

It played over and over again in her mind: Keith, telling them about a mission for the Blade he was signing himself up for. A mission that may take him away from them for _months_. Hunk, leading the way for a group hug. Her, squeezing in next to Keith, unable to stop the words from tumbling out, even as her voice cracked.

" _We're really going to miss you!"_

And then he was walking away from them and all she could could focus on was the blade attached to his belt and the glowing symbol on the hilt.

The symbol of Marmora.

The one permanently etched onto her skin.

Pidge curled up into a ball and sobbed. All of that happened hours ago and her chest _still_ ached. She'd done nothing to try and convince him to stay. She just watched as Keith walked away.

As her _Soulmate_ walked away.

* * *

"I can't be the only one bothered by this, right? I mean, we pretty much have a super villain locked up in our basement!" Lance ranted as he paced around the room. Pidge, Hunk, and Matt were hard at work with upgrades to the Castle, but at least they hadn't kicked him out yet.

"It does feel weird, but he _is_ giving us good intel," Matt pointed out. "Besides, it's not really up to us. Shiro and Allura are the ones in charge, and if this is what they think is right, then I'm not going to argue."

Lance growled in aggravation and all but flung himself into a nearby chair. He hated that Matt was right. Hated how easily the man seemed to fit in without everyone so easily, leaving him feeling even more out of place.

"Keith would agree with me," Lance grumbled, the words strange to his tongue.

Pidge's hand smacked against her tray of half-eaten food, knocking all of it down to the floor. She flinched at the loud sound and everyone else turned to look at her.

"Everything okay, Pidge?" Hunk asked, already getting up to help clean the mess.

Pidge wordlessly slid from her chair, her hands shaking slightly as she tried to pick up the plate, which slipped from her fingers as she lifted it.

"Pidge?" Matt asked, sounding worried.

Lance watched with growing concern as Hunk brushed off Pidge's attempts to help and practically ordered her to sit back down and take a break while he finished cleaning. She didn't look happy about it, but she listened regardless.

Matt tilted his head to the side. "So what's with you and Keith? You flinch every time someone says his name. Did he do something to you?"

"No!" Pidge blurted out, her eyes wide. She withdrew almost immediately, avoiding everyone's gaze. "He didn't do anything. I'm the one who... It's my problem. Don't worry about it."

Okay. That was weird.

The last time they saw Keith was the day he left the team. (No, Lance wasn't counting the times they'd seen him on video calls, because that didn't count.) He couldn't remember anything happening that would make things weird between Pidge and Keith. Sure, things had been strained leading up to that, when they felt like Keith was shirking his paladin duties, but that wasn't enough to explain Pidge's reaction.

"Pidge, are you sure you're alright? Do you want to talk about it?" Hunk asked.

"I just need a break. I'll be back later." She stood up, brushing past him on her way out.

No one said a word for nearly a minute.

"So, do either of you know what's going on?" Matt asked, breaking the silence.

Lance had questions of his own, but no answers and he doubted he'd be able to get them from Hunk. He'd just have to sweet talk Pidge into spilling her secrets. It would be a good distraction from his own failure to tell Allura the truth.

He left Hunk to try and fill in the blanks for Matt, giving some half-baked excuse about going to make sure Pidge was okay. It wasn't entirely a lie; he was worried. How could he not be? Pidge was one of his best friends and it was clear that there was something bothering her, so he wanted to try and help.

Lance picked a direction and set off at a brisk walk, hoping he could catch up to her. When he came to a junction, he looked both ways and felt incredibly lucky to spot Pidge disappearing into one of the side rooms up ahead. Lance took his time from there, pausing at the door to knock before going inside.

"Hey, Pidge?"

She turned, hurriedly shoving her glasses back on her face. "Hey. What's up?"

"What's the deal between you and Keith? I know you said he didn't do anything, but did you have a fight?" Lance asked, diving right into it. He stayed at the door, blocking the only exit.

Pidge's entire body drooped, as if she was wilting. "We didn't fight. I just miss him, that's all."

Lance frowned. "Okay, but why not just say that? I know we didn't always get along very well, but I miss him too."

"It's not the same," Pidge mumbled, lifting one hand to clutch at her sweatshirt, right over her head. "I don't want to talk about it. I haven't... I haven't been able to tell Keith yet. I don't know if I'll ever get the chance. And even if I do, that doesn't mean he'll accept someone like me."

All at once, Lance understood.

It seemed he and Pidge had more than a love for video games in common.

"He's your Soulmate," Lance quietly said.

Pidge nodded, looking absolutely miserable. "I didn't know until he left."

Lance took a deep breath and made a confession of his own. Something he hadn't been able to voice it out loud until that moment. "Allura's my Soulmate."

* * *

Matt whimpered in pain, suddenly wide awake as he rolled onto his side. The lack of pressure against his back helped a little, but it still felt like someone was scraping a nail against his skin hard enough to leave a welt behind.

He reached out and turned on the light, squinting as his eyes tried to adjust. Once they did, he twisted around to try and find the source of the pain, but no matter how much he stretched, he could barely get a glimpse of his Mark.

Matt got out of bed, bemoaning his loss of precious sleep as he shuffled over to the mirror. He turned so his back faced it and lifted his shirt. He gasped when he found the source.

His Mark had always been a strange, seven-petaled white flower with silver-blue leaves, situated on his lower back. But suddenly there was a second flower, branching out next to the first. As he watched, it filled in with black instead of white.


	6. Chapter 6

**NOTE:** Since I started writing before season 6, this chapter is where my canon divergence starts. You guys aren't going to believe this (and I don't blame you), but I legit had all of this planned weeks before S6 aired.

Chapter 6

Even after his brief talk with Lance while Lotor and Allura were venturing into the white hole, Shiro couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with him. It wasn't just because he couldn't remember what happened when he merged with his Lion, that was just the moment that opened his eyes.

There were the strange headaches, his shortened temper, how _everything_ seemed to set him on edge. He yelled at Lance for voicing his opinion! Gone behind the backs of his fellow paladins and gave Lotor his bayard! Done it _a second time_ by flying Lotor to the Kral Zera!

 _What was wrong with him?_

It wasn't stress. It wasn't because he'd been captured by Zarkon's forces for a second time, though it'd be easy to put all of the blame on that.

Something was very wrong. He could feel it.

"Aha, I found you!"

Shiro visibly startled as a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned, poised to push away whoever was intruding, only to freeze when he found himself looking at Matt, who stood behind him with a smile on his face.

"The others said you've been kind of stressed lately, so I thought of a way to try and help with that," Matt said.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Shiro said, even as he felt his body relax at Matt's touch. He couldn't deny he was curious about what his idea was, even as his mind screamed to be left alone. He needed to get away from everyone before he hurt someone.

But there was Matt, looking up at him with such hope in his brown eyes. Shiro couldn't help but give in.

Matt beamed and took him by the hand, leading him out of the room. Warmth bloomed at the contact and Shiro's heartbeat quickened. Matt had always had that affect on him, from the very moment they met.

(When was that again? The memory was... hazy.)

Before he knew it, they were outside of the Castle. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise!" Matt said, laughing at the put-out expression on Shiro's face. "You'll like it, I promise. Besides, it'll do you some good to get out and get some fresh air."

Shiro had to admit, the fresh air and sunshine _did_ feel nice. Olkarion was a beautiful planet and the perfect place to rest while they came up with their next plan of action. Maybe he could talk to Allura about arranging a new paladin bonding exercise in the form of a forest hike, if he could get her away from Lotor long enough.

Matt squeezed his hand. "You're thinking too much. I brought you out here so you could relax," he said teasingly. He slowed to a stop and gestured to the building in front of them and it took Shiro a minute to realize it was the Olkari's version of a quaint cafe.

It was on the smaller side, with a canopy covering the few round tables outside. The front of the cafe was transparent, and Shiro could see a few Olkari working behind the counter, while the servers were all mechanical plants scuttling about to deliver drinks or take orders.

"Maybe you're right. I think this is exactly what I need," Shiro said sincerely.

Matt happily launched into an explanation of how it worked, still holding Shiro's hand as he led the way to one of the outdoor tables. It wasn't until they were seated, with their drinks of choice brought to them by one of the scuttling servers, that Shiro was struck by a single thought that made his heart flutter.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was reading too much into it. But it felt an awful lot like they were on a date.

Shiro studied Matt over the rim of his mug, watching the younger man animatedly weave a story of one of his recent missions with the new recruits. He tried to pay attention to what Matt was saying, but kept getting distracted by his own thoughts.

He wanted to ask, but what if he was wrong? Matt was one of the nicest people he knew. It was probably as he said; he knew Shiro needed to relax, so he brought him somewhere peaceful to take a break.

For the moment, Shiro figured it couldn't hurt to pretend. Being on a date with Matt sounded nice.

* * *

Lance took a deep breath and then went inside, reminding himself that so long as he approached it the right way, Allura wouldn't yell at him. He was just a fellow paladin, voicing his concerns before things went any further.

"Hey, Allura? Are you busy right now?" he asked.

Allura looked up from the tablet in her hand and smiled when she saw Lance. She turned it off, giving him her full attention. "Not terribly. I was reviewing my notes for the next coalition meeting while Lotor is taking care of a few things with the Galra. What can I help you with?"

Lance tried not to visibly react to Lotor's name, but he wasn't sure how well he succeeded. "I was going to talk to Shiro about it first, but then I thought maybe I shouldn't trouble him with it? Since he's been kind of... _y'know._ " Lance made a vague gesture and a sound to indicate he wasn't sure how to properly phrase it.

"He hasn't really been himself lately. I thought I was the only one who noticed," she said, sounding troubled.

It was a relief to know he wasn't alone in his thoughts, but Lance couldn't let himself get off track. "Right, so that's why I wanted to talk to you first. It's... It's about Lotor."

"Lance, I know you disagree with letting him freely walk the Castle, but as you well know, his help has been invaluable over the last two months," Allura said, her tone shifting to something more defensive.

"I know, but-"

"Peace can't always be won through fighting," Allura cut in, not letting him finish. "We have a chance to win this war through diplomacy and I think it could work, but we need Lotor's help to do it. I need you to trust me on this."

"It's not you who I don't trust."

Lance knew the tick the words left his mouth that he had messed up. It didn't matter that it was the truth. That wasn't what Allura was asking for.

Allura sighed, sounding tired. "I'm sorry, but I trust him. He wants the same thing that we do."

Did he? Lotor's goal seemed to be unlimited quintessence for the Galra Empire, but _why_? What did they need all of that energy for if the goal was peace? All of the energy being used to power ships and massive weapons could be taken for something else if they were no longer using it to enslave planets, right?

Lance couldn't shake the feeling that listening to Lotor was wrong. "Allura, I... I'm with you on whatever you decide. Just be careful, okay?" He couldn't look at her as he said that, too afraid that he'd start crying if he did. He wanted – no, _needed_ for her to listen, but he knew she wouldn't.

"Thank you, Lance." Allura's voice was soft as she walked past him, pausing briefly to rest a hand on his shoulder. "That means a lot to me."

He said nothing else as she left the room, likely to go meet up with Lotor. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, running through the scenario again, wondering if he could have phrased things better. Would that have changed anything, or would the outcome still be the same?

Lance turned to leave, only to run directly into a solid wall of muscle. He quickly apologize as he backed up, but one look at Shiro's face made him stop dead in his tracks.

Shiro stared down at him blankly. Unmoving.

"Uh, Shiro, are you okay?" Lance asked. He searched for some answer to the Black Paladin's behavior, latching onto the first one he remembered. "Is it your head again? Pidge mentioned something about talking to Ulaz about it. We could ask him to come back and see if it has anything to do with your arm. He'd know for sure, since he helped with it and all."

One second Lance was standing there, seriously considering running to get help. The next, Shiro's prosthetic hand was wrapped around his throat, holding him up off the ground. He tried to scream, but the grip was too tight. Lance struggled and kicked, digging his fingernails into the alien metal as he felt his back hit the wall.

He couldn't breath. His throat was on fire. Dark spots danced across his vision, taking over.

He blacked out.

"LANCE!" Allura's scream broke through whatever spell Shiro was under just long enough for her to fly across the room and yank him off of Lance. She didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to how hard she threw him. All of her focus was on Lance's lifeless form as he crumpled to the floor.

She called his name again, dropping to her knees in front of him. "Lance, please! Open your eyes!" She pulled him closer, frantically feeling for his pulse. For any sign of movement.

There was nothing.

"No!" Allura sobbed.

From behind her, there was the sound of metal striking something solid, and then a loud thump as something else hit the floor. Had she turned, she would have seen Matt standing over Shiro's unconscious body, holding his staff up in case he had to use it a second time.

Allura shook as she cradled Lance, continuing to beg for him to wake up.

There were heavy footsteps as Hunk, Pidge, and Coran arrived, answering Matt's call for help. When the others froze at the scene before them, Coran took charge, ordering Hunk, Matt, and Pidge to get Shiro down to the cryo-pods, where they could put him in stasis until they found out what happened.

With that settled, he slowly approached Allura and crouched down next to her. "Princess, there's nothing we can do. You need to let go," he said gently, even as his voice wavered and cracked.

Allura shook her head. "I won't! I was just here, Coran! _He_ was just here! Talking! And... and I..." Her voice broke as a new wave of tears spilled over. She didn't care. Nothing mattered except for Lance.

"I can't lose you," she murmured, looking down at his face.

All at once there was a strange sense of calm that overcame her, like there was something deep within her saying it would be okay – she could still save him.

She bowed down and pressed her forehead against his as her markings began to glow white. And then she felt it – a pulse, slow and weak, but still there. She closed her eyes and reached out with her soul, feeding her own quintessence into it.

Coran gasped when Lance's cheeks began to glow to match Allura's. "I don't believe it...!"

Allura slowly withdrew as the pulse grew stronger and began to match her own heartbeat. She opened her eyes to stare at his face in hope and awe, as his lips parted and he sucked in a breath of air. "Lance?" she whispered as the glow faded from both of their markings. His remained white.

Little by little, he came back to life. His breathing steadied out and he quietly groaned, before at last his eyes fluttered open to the sight of Allura's tear-stained, but happy face. "What...?" he tried to asked, but his vocal chords protested with a burst of pain. He resisted making any more sounds as Allura abruptly curled into him, still shaking. He weakly wrapped an arm around her, comforting her the best he could.

"We lost you for a tick, but Allura brought you back," Coran told him, wiping away his tears as more streamed down. "I've never seen a Soulbond as strong as the one you two share."

Allura lifted her head. "We're Soulmates? I never thought..." She pulled back to take a better look at him, needing the reassurance that he really was alive and awake in front of her. "I almost lost you."

Lance did the only thing he could. The one thing he'd wanted to do for quite some time.

He shifted his hand to cradle the back of her head and leaned in, feeling a rush of giddiness that she was going along with him. And then their lips met for the first time and he poured as much feeling into it as he could, hoping she'd understand how much he cared for her.

 _I love you._

* * *

"We're not doing anything until Allura and Coran get here," Pidge snapped, standing in front of Shiro's pod with her arms crossed. She fearlessly glared up at Hunk, well aware of how easily he could move her if he wanted. She had to rely on the hope that he'd rather not fight her.

Hunk shook, whether with rage or intense sorrow, Pidge wasn't sure. His hands were balled into fists at his sides. "He _killed_ Lance, Pidge!"

"You think I don't know that!? I'm not saying we let him go free! I'm saying we need to wait and try to find out what happened!"

"Knowing won't bring Lance back! It won't make things right!"

"That's not up for us to decide! This is Allura's ship, it's her decision!"

There was a rage boiling inside of her, more intense than anything she'd felt before. She wasn't sure if it was toward Shiro, for betraying them so brutally, or at Hunk, for even _considering_ that they remove him from the ship and keep him locked in stasis elsewhere, or toward Matt, who was _standing against the wall and not backing her up!_

As if he felt her fury shifting towards him, Matt finally looked up from the floor. "That's _enough_ , both of you! All of this arguing is getting us nowhere."

It was such a Shiro thing to say that both Hunk and Pidge were too stunned to say anything else.

They stood in strained silence until the med-bay doors opened and three people, rather than the two they were expecting, stepped inside, at which point everyone started speaking at the same time.

Coran let that last all of five ticks before he held up his hands and called for everyone to calm down. "Yes, yes, we're all very excited that Allura was able to bring Lance back from the brink of death, but he needs time to heal before you ask him anything."

Lance shook his head at the same time that Allura said: "Not yet. I want him to be part of this conversation." She wearily eyed Shiro, locked in stasis in a pod. "You're certain he is in there securely?"

"He is," Matt said, his tone leaving no room for disagreement. He settled back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "What happened up there?"

"I don't really know," Allura said. "I was on my way to the lab and then I just had this... _feeling_ that something was wrong with Lance, so I went back to find him. That was when..." She paused to shakily inhale. "That was when I found Shiro pinning him against the wall. I thought Lance was passed out at first. I was in such a panic to get Shiro away from him and make sure he was okay, that I didn't think about anything else."

Matt made an understanding sound. "That must have been when I arrived. I heard you scream and came to look. That was when I saw him try to attack you, so I knocked him out. But _why_ did he attack Lance?"

Lance shrugged.

"Were you two talking about anything when it happened?" Pidge asked.

Lance shook his head, paused, and then nodded. He pointed at Shiro, then gestured to the full length of his right arm before tapping his head.

"Uh, why are you miming everything?" Hunk asked.

"Hurts," Lance croaked, barely able to raise his voice enough for everyone to hear.

"I was able to heal the worst of the damage, but he is still injured," Allura explained, frowning as she tried to decipher what he was trying to tell them. "You were talking about his hand? No, _his_ hand? His arm! And..."

"The neural link between his arm and brain," Pidge said, looking pale. "We talked about it ages ago, but I never thought it could cause something like this."

Hunk looked like he was on the verge of crying again. "If there was something programmed in there, hidden so deep that we couldn't find it... If he was controlled... and I said all of those things..."

"It doesn't matter," Matt spoke up. "We can figure that out later. Right now, I want to know how Allura did it. How did you bring Lance back? And why does he have Altean markings now?"

Lance blinked in surprise, reaching up to touch the space just under his eyes as he turned to look questioningly at Allura.

"It happened when I transferred my quintessence into Lance to bring him back to life," Allura explained, as simply as she could. Truthfully, she wasn't sure why he had Altean markings. That was just her best guess.

Coran cleared his throat. "It was the Soulbond the two shared that allowed her to do such a thing. The path was already there for her to use and without it, she never could have saved him. Those markings will fade a little, but it is likely that he'll have them for the rest of his life."

Once again, there was silence.

Hunk broke that when he finally moved, unable to keep it in any longer. He ran to Lance, mindful of his injured state as he hugged his best friend. "I'm so glad you're okay! And Allura's your Soulmate!"

Lance was more than happy to hug Hunk back and wasn't the least bit surprised as everyone, including Matt, joined in. He relaxed, able to relax with the warmth and love of his family around him.

* * *

They'd made it back safely, against all odds. Keith was still reeling from meeting Krolia – from meeting his _mom_. He had so many questions to ask her, but they would have to wait until after their debriefing with Kolivan.

Thace and Ulaz met them as they stepped out of the small ship. Krolia seemed to relax at the sight of them, even smiling as Thace welcomed her back to the Blade Headquarters. Keith's attention was on Ulaz, who gestured him over and then handed over a communication device with a frown.

"It's from Pidge," Ulaz explained.

Cold dread settled over Keith as he read the message left for him.

 _We need you back at the castle of lions asap. It's Shiro. Bring Ulaz._


	7. Chapter 7

Whenever he had a free moment to look up at the stars, Keith couldn't help but miss Pidge.

It was strange. He thought it would be Shiro who he missed the most, but instead it was their resident genius and pilot of the Green Lion. She became one of his closest friends in the short time they'd known each other, to the point that he _knew_ something was wrong when he read her message. It was too stiff. Too serious. Too unlike her to not go into more detail.

Something was seriously wrong.

Keith could barely focus on piloting them over to Olkarion, where the Castle of Lions had landed for maintenance. Ulaz was quiet next to him, serving as his co-pilot. Behind them were Thace and Krolia, who insisted on going along with them in case back-up was needed. Keith doubted they would need it, but it never hurt to be prepared.

He had mixed feelings about his mother coming along. With Thace and Ulaz there, he didn't feel comfortable asking any of the questions he had and it didn't look like she would offer up the answers on her own.

"Ulaz," Thace spoke up out of the blue. "Come help me check on the cargo?"

Ulaz glanced back with a raised eyebrow, as if to silently ask: "Is now really the time for that?" Whatever he saw in Thace's expression much have convinced him, because he quietly excused himself and followed his Mate through the doors to the cargo space.

Soon after, Krolia moved to take Ulaz's seat. Keith cast her wide-eyed glance before turning his attention back to navigation.

"I promised to give you answers once we were through with the debriefing and I know this isn't a good time, but I'd like to give them to you," Krolia said, staring down at her lap. "Nothing can ever make up for what I've done, and I wouldn't blame you if you never forgive me for it, but I hope you'll understand."

"Why did you leave?" His most pressing question was also the simplest.

"I wanted to stay. When I met your father – when he saved me from the wreckage of my ship, I had every intention of staying on Earth. I was so tired of all of the fighting. I still am. And Earth seemed like the perfect place to get away from it all. However..." Krolia sighed. "The Galra sent more soldiers to investigate whether or not one of the Voltron Lions were there. It was my original mission. And when more came and found that it was true, I knew I had to act. I had to protect you, even if it meant leaving both of you. At least... at least I could give you the chance to grow up in peace. If I could give you that much, then it would be worth it."

A sacrifice to save those she loved.

Keith's heart twisted at the thought. He understood all too well about making sacrifices to keep the ones he loved safe.

Krolia let him mull it over in silence, not forcing him to say anything else. It was up to him to ask and she would gladly answer.

"Did you love dad?"

Krolia closed her eyes to hide the tears that were beginning to well up. She'd tried so hard not to think of her Mate in the years they'd been apart. She ached to be reunited with him, but there was a part of her that knew she was too late. She hadn't felt him in years.

Her emotions spilled out into her words when she spoke again and she let them go freely, detailing her first interactions with the human known as Travis Hawkins. How he'd cut through her crashed ship with nothing but a simple ax and pulled her out of the wreckage. How he'd won her over with his charm, wit, and unfathomable amount of kindness. It hadn't taken her long to understand why she was so drawn to him – they were Soulmates. Though it took him a while to put it together.

"Humans have a unique way of knowing who their Soulmate is," she mused fondly.

Keith, who had given in and set the ship to autopilot so he could pay attention to Krolia's story, shifted in thought. "So how do Galra do it? How did you know dad was the one?"

"It's not an easy thing to describe, but I will do my best," Krolia said. "I knew the moment I found myself wanting to be close to him. I knew when my reason for staying on Earth was no longer because of how peaceful it was, but because he was there. I suppose, in a way, it is an instinctive thing. Being with him felt right. Like my soul itself had found peace."

It wasn't the best explanation he'd heard, but it was far better than Kolivan's attempt. ("You'll know when you meet them." What the hell did that mean?!) Keith would just have to accept that he'd never know what they were talking about.

"Thank you. Mom." Keith struggled with the last bit, but knew it was important. It would take some getting used to, but the way she looked up at him, stunned that he'd so easily accepted her, let him know it was a good choice.

Krolia smiled sadly. "I see so much of him in you."

Keith swallowed thickly, turning away so he wouldn't start crying. There was nothing else they needed to say.

* * *

"Keith!"

He'd never heard Pidge sound so relieved before. She stood frozen as he exited the ship, not moving until his feet were back on solid ground, at which point she all but threw herself into his arms, wrapping her own around his middle. She was shaking.

Keith did the only thing he could think of and held onto her, refusing to budge until she was ready. The sense of foreboding grew stronger. Whatever happened was bad enough to shake _Pidge._

"What happened?" Thace asked as he, Ulaz, and Krolia stepped down.

Pidge reluctantly left his arms and avoided his gaze, her cheeks slightly red. Keith was about to ask what was wrong with Shiro, when she answered without him needing to.

"Shiro attacked Lance."

"What?" Keith demanded with more force than he meant to. "What are you talking about? Where is he?"

Pidge flinched. "We put him in a sleep pod. He's fine, but we had to put him in stasis."

"But Shiro would never attack Lance like that! Why would he?" Keith struggled to understand what he was being told. He walked around Pidge, fully intent on getting to the med-bay to see for himself what was happening.

A hand closed around his arm and he stopped in his tracks, looking down at Pidge with rising frustration.

"We can't let him out. He's in there for everyone's safety," she said firmly. "I know you want to. I know it's unthinkable, but... Keith, he killed Lance."

Keith stopped breathing for a moment.

"Wow, way to steal my thunder, Pidge. What if I wanted to be the one to tell him, huh? I could've been all 'ooo, this is the ghost of Lance speaking from beyond!' Except not really, since I'm alive again. Surprise."

"Seriously?" Pidge asked, turning to look at Lance as he walked into the room. "I thought you were supposed to be resting. Does Allura know you're here?"

"Nope," Lance responded cheerily.

Pidge rolled her eyes and then addressed the four Galra in the room. "Sorry. Coran gave him something to heal his throat and we haven't gotten him to stop talking since. I'm pretty sure there was some intense painkiller in it, so he's a little high off of that."

"I thought you said that Shiro..." Keith couldn't bring himself to say it. "He's clearly alive and – what is wrong with your face?" he asked, distracted by the white crescents on Lance's cheeks.

Lance immediately began patting his face with both hands. "There's something on my face?!"

Pidge groaned and massaged her temples, thoroughly done dealing with Lance. "I can't handle this right now."

"Lance!"

"My hero," Pidge muttered as Hunk arrived. He paused to greet everyone, but quickly ushered Lance away, hopefully to rest away from everyone until he came down from his medication-induced high.

Keith looked at her for help, completely thrown for a loop. Had everyone lost their minds since he'd been away? Was there a gas leak he wasn't aware of? Maybe he was in the middle of a lucid nightmare?

"Pidge, what's going on?" he dared to ask.

She sobered up almost immediately, any of the humor brought on by Lance vanishing in an instant. "I know how it looks, but I was telling the truth. Come on, I'll explain it all on the way."

And she did. The whole story, starting with Allura's account of the events and then Matt's, before closing with what she'd seen.

"It was Coran's idea to put him in stasis. He'll heal from Matt knocking him out, but more importantly he won't be able to hurt anyone else. This way he'll be contained while we figure out why this happened. We think... We think the logical place to start is with his arm. That's why I asked for you too, Ulaz," she said.

That was... a lot.

Shiro attacking Lance. Them locking Shiro away. Allura bringing Lance back to life using their Soulbond.

Keith stared up at Shiro's sleeping face, wondering how it'd all gone so horribly. How would they recover? Even if they _were_ able to help Shiro...

No. They _would_ help him. They'd find out why and then it would never happen again. Keith couldn't give up on him and it seemed Pidge felt the same.

He reached up and placed a hand against the cold glass. "So where do we start?"

* * *

"Perhaps there is a way I can help," Lotor said, catching Allura's arm as she made to leave.

She paused, waiting to hear what he had to say. She'd only gone to visit him in the lab to let him know she'd have to step away for a few days, but if he had an idea then she was willing to stay and listen. Any advice he had was invaluable.

When he was sure he had her attention, he continued. "It will be dangerous, but if you truly want to know the experiments that the druids performed upon him, there is one ship that would contain the answers. It is the very ship that Haggar still controls."

Allura looked dismayed by the information. She had hoped for a moment that it would be somewhere easy, like Haggar's lab on the main ship. "That is too high of a risk," she said, her shoulders drooping. "The odds of getting in and out are..."

"Astronomically low, I know," Lotor said sympathetically. "But I've spent a great deal of time on ships just like that one. There must be a way to utilize the knowledge that I have to our benefit. There are ways in – ways Haggar and the druids would never consider. Is the chance to rid Shiro of that witch's control not worth it?"

Allura hesitated. Of course she wanted to save Shiro. But if the cost was the life of another?

No. She couldn't.

"I am sorry, Lotor. I know you're trying to help, but I can't endanger anyone else the way you're asking," Allura told him.

"Think about it some more," Lotor pleaded. "If we could come up with a viable plan – one with a high probability of success – then wouldn't it be worth it?"

Allura slowly exhaled. "I will consult with the others. If they wish to try, I will let you know." She started to leave again and then paused. "Thank you, Lotor. I really do appreciate all that you're doing."

Lotor smiled. "It is an honor, Princess."

* * *

"Don't worry, I'll have Matt with me."

That was the last thing Pidge said to him before she, Matt, and Lotor boarded one of the small Altean shuttles and set off to find answers about Shiro's arm. It'd been hours since then and Keith still couldn't shake the unease he felt.

They all knew the risk was high. Pidge had calculated the odds herself and had still been the first to volunteer. She knew what to look for, thanks to Ulaz, and was small enough to sneak in through the vents undetected. Lotor went with her, since he knew the layout of the ship better than anyone, and Matt made it abundantly clear that they weren't going without him.

So off the three went, going straight into enemy territory with no back up and no way to communicate back how they were faring, just in case use of the radio would alert Haggar to their presence. The rest of them could only sit and wait.

Keith hated waiting.

Eventually ( _finally_ ) the call screen flickered to life, revealing a haggard Lotor.

Allura leaped to her feet to accept the call. "Lotor, how was the mission?"

"I'm afraid we fared worse than I feared," Lotor said, sounding truly apologetic. "I will explain everything once we have landed. Could you open a wormhole?"

Allura nodded and went to the pedestals, eager to get them home safely.

"Where are Pidge and Matt?" Hunk asked quietly.

Keith felt hot fear as he registered Hunk's question, but he kept his cool as he moved forward to take Allura's place in the video call. "Lotor, where are the others?"

"Matt is here. He's unconscious. But Pidge... I'm afraid they found her. It was all I could do to get Matt back on the ship. I'm truly sorry."

A panic like he'd never known before overcame Keith at the thought of something happening to Pidge. He let out a snarl he didn't know he was capable of, no longer thinking about keeping his cool. "You should have gone back for her!"

"And we'll get her back."

It wasn't Lotor who spoke, but Lance, taking a risk to stand next to Keith. He flinched away when Keith whirled on him, reminded too much of his near-death experience at Shiro's hands.

"Lance, I-" Keith looked startled by his own fury. He struggled for a moment to get himself under control, repeating an old mantra in his head.

 _Patience yields focus._

"You're right. We'll get her back," he said, turning away from Lotor. He doubted he'd be able to look at the Emperor of the Galra for a while without feeling some sense of anger. "We need a plan."

"What, we're not going to go in, guns blazing?" Lance asked.

Keith smirked. "I never said that couldn't be _part_ of the plan."

* * *

It was Thace and Krolia who coordinated their attack, using additional information from Ulaz and Lotor. Allura, Hunk, and Lance went out in their Lions first, drawing the attention of the Galra still working with Haggar. (After all, they likely knew they'd be coming, so there was no point in trying to sneak around. There was no way anyone would believe they'd just let them have Pidge.) Next, Coran would swoop in with the Castle of Lions, moving out of range once the castle shields began to weaken. And while Lotor insisted he'd be more useful inside the massive Galra cruiser, Thace insisted he take the sincline ship to provide the Lions with additional backup.

As much as he wanted to join in, Thace remained with Coran in the castle, while Keith, Ulaz, Krolia, and Matt (who _swore_ he and Lotor had been alone when he was knocked unconscious, but Lotor did try to warn him about something right before it happened) snuck onto the ship.

The plan seemed to be working flawlessly.

They'd been met with next to no resistance as they made their way to where Pidge was likely being held. Keith left the few sentries they came across to Matt, who took a great deal of pleasure in smacking them around.

"This feels too easy," Krolia murmured as they approached the holding cells.

"Doubtless, there was not much Haggar could salvage when she fled. Her resources are stretched thin," Ulaz said. "What is more worrisome is that she has not sent a single druid after us."

Keith barely paid them any mind as he and Matt began to search the rooms, running from one to the next as one-by-one they proved to be empty. Keith was seized by the desperate need to find her. He had to. She was...

Important to him, Keith realized with a start. He didn't know when it happened, but rescuing her was just as important to him as saving Shiro. She was special in a way he hadn't anticipated.

He kept going. Room after empty room. Until at last a door slid open and he saw her, her wrists chained to the wall above her head, the gauntlets of her armor shattered or completely gone.

"Pidge," he breathed, striding forward. He drew his bayard, easily cutting through her restraints and catching her with one arm, slowly lowering her so he could get a better look at her injuries. She seemed fine, aside from the angry red marks encircling each of her wrists.

 _Oh._

Keith cradled her in his arms and closed his eyes, thinking of the Marks he bore around his own wrists. The ones imprinted in gold. The ones meant to point him towards his Soulmate.

"Pidge," he said again, a little louder. He gently brushed her bangs from her face, frowning the bruise near her temple.

She was his Soulmate. The one he'd never wanted to meet. The one he'd considered pushing away if he thought he found them. All the time they'd spent together, the true sense of the comradery he found in her, it all led up to that moment.

Keith felt sick for thinking he could ever deny their Bond.

He lifted her into his arms, carrying her from the room bridal style. The slight jostling drew her back into consciousness, at least briefly.

"Keith?" she asked weakly.

"You're safe now," he told her. "Just hang on. We'll get you back to the Castle soon."

Pidge frowned. "I know. That isn't... Keith, I have the data. I know what's wrong with Shiro."

Before Keith could respond, Matt was there, nearly crying from happiness at seeing her alive and well. And then it was back to the Castle of Lions, where they called everyone in before wormholing away.

All the while, Keith held onto her, not bothering to fight the fluttery warmth in his chest.


	8. Chapter 8

This is it, the final chapter! Please be sure to check my note at the end of this chapter as well!

Chapter 8

Pidge frowned as she stared at her wrists where the restraints had rubbed her skin raw. It felt silly to ask to go into a healing pod for such a minor injury, but she couldn't do anything useful when pain burned up through her arm every time she tried to move it.

Ulaz was already hard at work hunting down and eliminating every last safeguard Haggar placed into the arm so they could safely remove it from Shiro. Or rather, Shiro's clone.

Pidge took in a shuddering breath. It'd been like a punch to the stomach to think that the Shiro they'd found after his disappearance had been a clone the whole time. He'd been created for the sole purpose of infiltrating the team, giving Haggar access to anything she needed, with the secondary function to destroy the team from the inside out when she gave the word.

Project Kuron.

She couldn't imagine how Keith felt. He'd been desperate the find Shiro again, but then again, they all were. None of them questioned their fortune when they found him. They'd been blinded by their joy.

"Hey."

Pidge blinked in surprise when Keith settled in front of her. He set a jar next to her laptop on the table and then began peeling off his gloves.

"Keith, what are you doing?" Pidge asked, confused.

He unscrewed the lid on the jar, revealing a bluish cream. "Coran gave me this for your injury. He said it will help." He reached for her left hand, making a small noise in the back of his throat when he saw how it hadn't changed much from when he first cut her down. He scooped out a generous amount of cream, but paused to look her in the eyes before spreading any onto her skin. "I don't know if this will sting or not."

Pidge gave a barely perceptible nod of understanding, bracing herself as Keith slowly applied the cream. She felt nothing at first except the coolness of the ointment and the slight pressure of Keith's fingertips. And then her skin began to tingle as it worked its magic, numbing the area and bringing her relief.

"Is it okay?" Keith asked.

Pidge nodded again. "It feels strange, but it doesn't hurt."

Keith continued, slowly turning her left wrist so he could cover all of it before moving on to her right one. As he worked, focused solely on applying an even amount, Pidge noticed something she'd never seen before. It was likely because he was always wearing gloves but...

"Keith?" Pidge asked, reaching out with her free hand to brush her fingers against the pale golden band wrapping around one of his wrists, in perfect mimicry of her current injury. She couldn't help herself.

There was a brief lull to his movement, but then he finished what he was doing and let Pidge examine his Marks. He shivered as she traced them one at a time, her touch featherlight.

Her heart hammered in her chest. He wasn't pulling away. He wasn't asking her to stop. She could feel something reaching out, not unlike when her Lion's thoughts would brush against her subconscious, her own Mark warming in response.

"Are you sure?" she whispered, choking up. She had to get it out. She had to be sure. "I know... I know you don't want this. I heard you and Thace. You don't have to." She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling them start to sting with tears.

"I never thought I would," Keith admitted. "I thought I could go on without and be happier for it. But then Lotor said you'd been captured and I couldn't think of anything but getting you back. And when I found you and saw your wrists..." He paused to slowly breath in. "I'm glad it's you, Katie."

Pidge opened her eyes, utterly stunned by the use of her real name. It released the floodgates as a surge of affection broke free to wash over her and she gave in, letting go of her fears to welcome the Bond he was opening up to.

They sat there for a long time, basking in the feeling until they were ready to get back to work.

* * *

Lance couldn't stop himself from smiling every time he looked at Allura, like he was some besotted, lovesick fool.

Okay, so that was exactly what he was. So what? His Soulmate was kind and smart and fun and beautiful and... so, so much more. She was nothing less than incredible. Hunk and Pidge could tease him all they wanted and it wouldn't ruin his good mood. Not that they were doing that, but he felt like it was only a matter of time. One day they'd get over his actual-death experience and let things go back to normal.

Allura walked over to stand next to him as she, Hunk, and Keith joined everyone in the med-bay to go over their plan for saving Shiro – both his clone and the real deal. She smiled at him as she laced their fingers together.

Holy crow, he loved her so much! He needed to distract himself before he melted into a mushy mess in front of everyone.

"So how are we going to save Kuro and Shiro?" he asked.

Pidge raised an eyebrow. "Kuro?"

"Yeah, short for Kuron. C'mon, Pidge, keep up," Lance said.

Matt audibly sucked in air, as though he'd just thought of something important. He looked embarrassed when everyone looked at him. "Oh, sorry. I just - Kuro and Shiro. Black and White. It's fitting."

Pidge eyed her brother for a moment before moving on. "Right, so as you can see, we isolated the self-destruct sequence Haggar implanted and we were able to remove the arm without hurting... _Kuro_. Ulaz has a few schematics for new arms that we've started to build, but before we focus on that, we need an appropriate power source for them _and_ we need to get the real Shiro back."

"His last arm was powered by the druids magic and refined quintessence. We have access to neither of those, so we must find something different," Ulaz explained. "It is Pidge's thought that we could use a crystal from a Balmera and I'm inclined to believe it could work. It would have to be small and we will need a few of them to test our theory."

"I'll go," Hunk volunteered. "I mean, uh, I know one of the Balmerans and..." He flushed under the knowing looks of his fellow paladins and Coran. "Okay, so I want to see Shay again! Is that okay with all of you?"

Allura tried not to laugh, but couldn't fully keep her amusement at bay. "Of course that's alright. I could think of no one better for such a task."

"While you are doing that, Thace and I have come up with a plan for rescuing Shiro," Krolia said. "According to the data retrieved by Pidge, he's been held at a remote facility ever since the Galra found him drifting in space. We believe your initial hypothesis was correct and that Zarkon's attempt to wrest away control of the Black Lion caused her to teleport Shiro away.

"Kolivan has volunteered Antok and several others to help us. We leave in four vargas."

Allura stepped forward to wrap up their meeting. "There is a great deal we must do and not much time in which to do it, but I believe in everyone here. Lance and I will remain at the castle for communication between all of the teams. Should you need anything, we'll be there to help."

With that, everyone began to move out and prepare for what needed to be done. Lance stuck near Allura as she made her way over to Hunk to help him get a better idea of what kinds of Balmeran crystals to look for. With little to add to the conversation, Lance took to watching everyone else.

Ulaz and Thace had their foreheads pressed together, liking wishing each other luck with their assignments in their very personal manner, while Krolia stood nearby, politely averting her gaze until they were finished. When they did separate, Ulaz's next action was to pull her in for a warm hug.

Matt was near Pidge, but all of his focus was on Kuro, sleeping peacefully in the pod. (Which was weird and definitely something Lance would dwell more on later.) Pidge herself was smiling up at Keith as he gently cupped her face with his hands and leaned in.

"What the quiznak?"

The pair jolted apart before their lips could touch, both turning to stare at Lance with clear frustration.

"Problem, Lance?" Pidge asked.

He quickly shook his head. "No, of course not! I just hadn't realized you told him about, um, you _did_ tell him, right?"

"Yes, Lance. I told him," Pidge said as patiently as she could muster. "If you don't mind, I'd like to properly wish my Soulmate good luck now."

"Right. Yup." Lance quickly went back to Allura's conversation with Hunk. As happy as he was for them, he had no desire to watch Pidge and Keith make out. (Though a quick glance at them a few ticks later showed that they were keeping things almost ridiculously PG.)

"...stay out of trouble while I'm away, okay?" Hunk asked, laying a heavy hand on Lance's shoulder. His tone was joking, but his eyes were serious and Lance knew if he let his friend go on for too long, he'd start crying.

"No problem there, buddy," Lance said reassuringly. "You be careful too. Don't get too distracted flirting with Shay. Shiro and Kuro are counting on you."

Hunk laughed and tugged Lance in for a full, warm hug.

* * *

The Balmera was even more beautiful than he remembered. The great, petrified beast was healing well after being subjugated to the Galra mining operations for so long and it warmed his heart to see it.

As he directed the Altean ship to a safe place to land, he got a better view of the Balmerans leaving their homes to see who was paying them a visit. He almost thought he could spot Shay among them, but maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part.

He soon landed and disembarked, greeting the gathered Balmerans and assuring them that everything was fine. He was there for official business, but not of the fighting-against-the-Galra variety. Hunk quickly summarized the situation, telling them how they were making a new arm for Shiro and were hoping they had a small crystal to help.

The nearest Balmerans looked thoughtful and then their leader nodded. "We will be glad to assist you. I shall send for a guide to help you through the mines."

"Er, could I make another request?" Hunk asked, sounding nervous. "Sorry, it's just... Is Shay available?"

"Of course," responded the leader.

Hunk didn't have to wait long before Shay arrived, her expression lighting up the moment she saw him. Hunk himself was surprised by the joy he felt as she approached.

Maybe there was some base in the way Lance liked to tease him about liking her. She was interesting and fun, not to mention brave – far braver than he was. It wasn't enough for him to call it love, but it was the start of _something_ and he couldn't deny he was interested in seeing if there could be more between them.

"Hunk, it is so good to see you again," Shay said with her usual sincerity. "Pilo mentioned you are looking for small crystals? We have many of them forming deep in the caves, so it may take some time to reach them. I hope you are in no hurry."

Hunk shook his head. "There's no rush. I mean, Pidge would probably like it if I get back by tomorrow. She's pretty eager to make sure her idea about using the crystals as a power source is correct."

Shay held out her hand to help him down into a nearby mine and Hunk gratefully accepted it, trusting her to lead him safely.

"If I may ask, what does she need them for? Pilo said something about a new arm," Shay said, sounding concerned. "Is everyone alright?"

Hunk launched into the story of Shiro and his clone (Kuro, as they were apparently calling him) and how Pidge and Ulaz were hard at work building new prosthetic arms for them. He tried not to read too much into Shay's blush when he revealed how he'd volunteered for the trip to the Balmera.

Once he got her caught up, he changed the topic to something happier. And what could be happier than the fact that everyone else at the Castle of Lions seemed to be in the process of discovering who their Soulmate was.

"I think Lance has known for a while, but then he died and Allura brought him back using their Bond, so now she knows too. I guess Keith and Pidge are also Soulmates, which is unexpected. They're cute together though. I don't think I've seen Keith look so comfortable with someone before. So I guess that just leaves me, Matt, and Shiro. Maybe Kuro? I'm not really sure if he has one or not."

Shay was quiet for a moment as they took a turn that led them deeper into the mines. The walls took on a soft glow from a variety of yellow-green crystals embedded in the rock. "How do your people know when they've found their One?"

"We have Marks. We're not born with them; they appear when we get a little older. All of them are personalized to represent your Soulmate, but it's never in an obvious way. You just... figure it out as you get to know them," Hunk explained. "I guess that's not how Balmeran's do it?"

Shay shook her head. "It is similar to how we communicate with and through the Balmera. We call it the Resonance."

"The Resonance, huh. Sounds pretty cool," Hunk said.

"As do your Marks," Shay said, sounding pleased by the compliment. She stopped walking, and held out her hand so Hunk would do the same. "We are here."

Hunk looked around the tunnel, realizing the lighting had shifted in color. The yellow-green crystals still lit the walls in soft light, but there were others in every shade of the rainbow, glimmering as the light bounced off of them.

"Come, we shall speak to the Balmera and announce our intent. I will help you," Shay said. "Please place your hand against the wall."

"Oh, um, alright." Hunk moved towards the closest wall and pressed his palm against a space barren of crystals. He found himself blushing as Shay placed her larger hand over his.

"Now close your eyes and think of what you need," Shay instructed.

Hunk felt a little self-conscious as he followed her directions, but he'd seen it work a number of times and trusted Shay to know what she was doing. He closed his eyes and thought of his desire to help Shiro. How they needed an energy source that was small, but powerful. How nice Shay's hand felt against his...

Hunk's cheeks burned at the last thought.

Around them, the Balmera crooned softly, almost like a pleased hum, and Hunk could feel something shifting within the rock, pushing its way to the surface, before he began to see the tips of several crystals breaking free. There were two in particular that caught his eye, both glowing with a steady, deep violet light, and part of him knew those were the ones he needed most.

"Shay, that was..." Hunk could find the right word to describe what he'd been a part of. It went beyond words. Their hands were still against the wall and he pushed his feelings towards the Balmera, much the same way he communicated with the Yellow Lion. "Thank you."

* * *

"So, are you going to tell me why you've been acting so weird or am I going to have to start guessing?" Pidge asked when she found her brother right where she left him _four hours ago,_ staring at Kuro's sleeping face as though he held the secrets to the universe.

"Have you ever heard of someone's Mark changing?" Matt answered her question with one of his own. "Or, like, it's the same, but something's been added to it."

Pidge thought back to everything she'd ever read about Soulmarks. "It's really rare... Most often it's what happens when one Soulmate dies and the other is left alone."

"And the rarer cases?"

"...I've never found anything that wants to talk about it," Pidge said hesitantly. "Matt, what's wrong?"

"My Mark is different. There's another flower now. A black one to match the white," Matt explained, finally looking away from the cryo-pod. "It's why I know you can save them both. No, why I know you _will_ save them both. Because they're my Soulmates."

Pidge needed to sit down. She felt a little lightheaded trying to wrap her mind around it. How was that even possible? Kuro was a clone! Created to be a perfect copy with Shiro's memories implanted into his brain through use of the arm. Did he even have a soul?

(Evidence pointed to yes. He must, if Matt was interpreting his Mark correctly.)

"You just _had_ to make this complicated," she grumbled at her brother.

He laughed and sat down next to her. "Hey, I'm not going to question what the universe decides."

"It's going to be weird having two Shiro's around," Pidge pointed out. "Especially since one of them attacked Lance. That's not an easy thing to get over, even knowing it wasn't his fault. And who knows how the clone will react when he wakes."

"Kuro," Matt corrected. "C'mon, Pidge. Better get used to it now."

Pidge knew he was right and she did feel bad for referring to him as "the clone". He'd been a part of the team for months! Just because he wasn't who he said he was – no, who he truly _believed_ was was – it was no reason to treat him coldly. She couldn't even say she was doing it in defense of Lance, as he was the most vocal of them all about helping both Kuro and Shiro.

She just wished they knew how deep Haggar's programming went. Was it really only through the arm? Or was it Kuro himself?

"Maybe we should wake him up," she mused out loud.

Matt looked at her in surprise. "I thought we agreed to wait until the others get back with Shiro?"

"It's just a thought, but... he's safe inside that pod. If we let him adjust slowly and don't bombard him with everything at once, maybe that would be better. Ugh, but Keith specifically told me not to do it without him here," she groaned and dropped her head in her hands, displeased that she'd talked herself out of her own idea.

Matt considered it for a moment. "Well, he couldn't get too mad if we took a group vote and overruled you, right? Why don't you go get the others and we'll see what they think?"

Pidge raised her head and gave him a hard look. "You're going to do something foolish while I'm gone, aren't you."

"Me? Never!"

* * *

Matt did indeed do something foolish while she was off asking the others what they thought of the idea. She wasn't the least bit surprised when she returned with an entourage to find Matt conversing with a very awake Kuro.

"I'm pretty sure this is exactly what you told me you _wouldn't_ do," Pidge said.

"I had my fingers crossed."

Pidge rolled her eyes.

"Lance...?" Kuro croaked out, eyes wide as he stared at the current Red Paladin. He slowly sank to his knees in pure relief. "You're okay. You're alive. I thought..."

Lance smiled sadly. "It was a close call, but yeah, I'm alright. How... how are you feeling? How's your head?" He asked, walking over so he could sit down next to Matt. He thought he'd be afraid to be so close to the one who'd hurt him, but he didn't. How could he, when Kuro looked so fragile, as though he'd shatter into a thousand fragments at the slightest touch.

"It feels a little fuzzy, but it doesn't hurt anymore. I feel... better, I think. I don't really remember what happened, I just know that I hurt you. Lance, I'm so sorry."

"You really don't remember?" Lance asked, testing him. He watched Kuro's face for any sign of aggression. "You were acting weird when you found me. I asked if it was your head again and if you wanted to go see if Ulaz could help. He had an idea about your arm being the cause of it."

"My arm?" Kuro whispered, reaching to grasp where it once was and finding only air. "My arm... _Haggar_." There was a flicker of something in his eyes – not anger, but absolute terror.

"It's okay now. It's gone," Matt spoke up, keeping his voice calm and soothing. "Ulaz and Pidge made sure it can't affect you anymore."

Kuro raised his eyes to the others, watching as they approached to join Matt and Lance on the floor. Even Ulaz, who looked wholly uncomfortable as he tried to arrange his long limbs out of the way of everyone else, was willing to go along. He frowned, realizing there were two people missing.

"Does Keith know? And where's Hunk?"

"Hunk went to find a power source for the new arm we've been building. He'll be back soon. As for Keith..." Pidge bit her lip as she trailed off, refusing to meet his gaze. "He was here, but we found out a few things while you were out. Does the Kuron Project ring any bells?"

Kuron Project? There was... a vague sense of familiarity, but he couldn't place where it came from. The others took their cue from the confusion evident on his face and cautiously began to explain what they knew.

Kuro almost wished they had left him in stasis. He was an abomination. A nightmare crafted by that vile witch and her druids for the sole purpose of destroying Voltron from the inside. And he'd almost succeeded. "I don't deserve-"

"Of course you do!" Matt fiercely cut in, taking everyone by surprise. "You're going to be fine. It doesn't matter what you were made to be. All that matters is who you are _now_ , Kuro."

 _Kuro._

 _Black._

He closed his eyes. He rather liked that name.

He was far from ready to accept that he still had a place with them, but there was a spark of hope. Maybe he could rise above what he was made to be.

* * *

The crystals looked even more beautiful under the sunlight. As requested, Hunk and Shay plucked a number of them from the walls, but only those the Balmera willingly gave. Hunk was especially careful to hold onto the purple ones. He was _sure_ those were the ones they needed. They felt right.

"So this is goodbye again," Shay remarked sadly, as they approached the Altean ship.

Goodbye? Hunk wasn't ready to say goodbye yet! He wanted to stay and talk with Shay some more, and maybe watch the sunrise with her again! But he couldn't. Shiro was counting on him.

Unless there was another way?

"You know, you could come with me," Hunk suggested. "I know it will be weird to leave your home. And space can be kind of scary, but-"

"You wish for me to travel with you?" Shay asked, sounding equal parts stunned and thrilled by the idea.

Hunk looked at her and was taken aback by her excitement. He honestly hadn't expected such a strong reaction. And even with everything going on back at the Castle of Lions and the level of danger involved in their day-to-day lives, he couldn't help but feel like her going with him was the right choice.

"Shay, I would love for you to travel with me," he said sincerely. "Do... do you want to?"

Her bright smile was answer enough.

* * *

Allura was with _him_ again.

Lance couldn't help the stab of jealousy that ran through him. He fully understood that working with Lotor was her way of carrying on her father's legacy and working towards their goal of peace, but that didn't mean he liked it. And he still couldn't shake the feeling that Lotor couldn't be trusted. (But maybe that was just him. After all, Lotor hadn't given them any reason not to trust him. He'd gone above and beyond to help them.)

He sighed, glumly watching Ulaz and Pidge work to integrate the crystals Hunk brought back with one of the arms. Lance didn't even have his best friend around to help distract him, since Hunk was too busy showing Shay around the castle. And while he had invited Lance to tag along, Lance declined, not wanting to play third wheel when it was clear to everyone they wanted some time alone.

He supposed he could have gone to bug Matt and Kuro, but there was definitely _something_ going on between them and Lance wasn't sure what to make of it.

Pidge brushed her bangs back in frustration. "This isn't working. I don't know what we're missing here. Why won't it connect?"

"Perhaps we are out of our depth in this matter," Ulaz reluctantly admitted. "The princess has a knowledge of Altean alchemy that may just be the key we need. She is down in the lab, working on the ship created from the remaining piece of the comet, is she not?"

Lance had no qualms revealing that he was listening to their conversation. "I'll go ask her."

"Mind if I tag along? I could use a break," Pidge said, stepping away from the workbench when Lance nodded. She leisurely stretched after standing still for so long and then walked over to her fellow paladin. "We'll be back soon, Ulaz."

The tall Galra inclined his head but continued to tinker with the prosthetic arm. If it turned out Allura couldn't help then, he needed to keep searching for a way.

Lance and Pidge left together, making their way through the halls and down to where Allura and Lotor were working on a ship meant to travel through the rift left in the ruins of Daibazaal.

"So you and Keith, you're okay, right? I know you said there was the whole thing with Keith not wanting to Bond with his Soulmate and you guys looked okay, but are you?" Lance asked, worried for her well-being.

"I think so. Keith's the one who reached out first, actually, but we haven't really had time to talk," she said as she looked down at her bandaged wrists. The cream was working well to keep the pain down, as well as to accelerate the healing process. It wouldn't be long before it was completely healed, possibly without leaving a scar behind. "What about you? How are you handling this whole Kuro thing? I mean, what he did to you..."

"Wasn't his fault," Lance firmly reminded her.

Pidge sighed. "I know. I just... I can't get the image of you laying there out of my head. You... you _died_ , Lance. And even knowing that he was being controlled... it's hard to get past that. I'm going to do everything I can to give him a chance, but trust is going to take some time."

Lance was quiet for a moment. "How do you think Shiro's going to feel about all of this?"

"I have no idea."

There was an uneasy silence between them as they reached the lab and the door slid open to admit them. Lance's eyes found Allura immediately. She was standing at a terminal, focused on whatever the screen showed her, while Lotor stood next to her, much closer than Lance liked.

He quickly beat down the flare of jealousy that blazed to life inside of him. Reminding himself to stay calm, that Allura had chosen him when she accepted their Bond, Lance cleared his throat.

Allura looked up to find the source of the noise and beamed when she saw him. "Lance! Have you heard back from Keith yet?"

Lance shook his head. "Not yet. We came down because Pidge and Ulaz want your help with something."

"We hit a roadblock in linking the power source to the arm and were hoping you could give it a look," Pidge explained, keeping it simple.

"Of course. I would be happy to help," Allura said. She apologized to Lotor as she stepped away, paying little mind to his quiet protest. When she reached Lance and Pidge, she automatically reached for her Soulmate's hand and laced their fingers together. "How is Kuro doing?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

They still hadn't told Lotor the truth about Shiro's clone. Allura considered it necessary with the way he reacted whenever Haggar was mentioned and, ally or not, he had no say in how they were handling the matter.

"Matt's with him, so he should be okay," Pidge said, just as quietly.

None of them saw the way Lotor's face contorted into a scowl as they left.

* * *

Shiro was back.

Matt could hardly keep his thoughts in order when Keith and the others arrived back at the castle, supporting the Black Paladin between them. He was weak and exhausted from the new experiments performed upon him, his hair turned pure white from the stress of his ordeal, but he was _alive_.

Matt controlled himself long enough for Pidge and Ulaz to disconnect his old arm, which they set aside for further scrutiny, and then went in for a tight hug while they were distracted.

"Matt," Shiro murmured fondly, giving him a one-armed hug in return. They separated, giving Shiro a moment to take in the new scar across the younger man's face, as well as how much he'd matured since he last saw him. "I'm glad you're safe."

A laugh broke free from Matt as he grinned up at Shiro. "I'm pretty sure I'm the one who should be saying that to you."

"Maybe so," Shiro said agreeably. His gaze turned serious as Ulaz and Pidge approached with the new arm and Matt stepped out of the way. The white casing was brighter than the last – a pure white rather than metallic gray – and Shiro reluctantly dragged his eyes away from admiring it to focus on the youngest and smallest paladin. "Keith says you got captured while trying to find out what happened to me."

Pidge went still and then defiantly lifted her chin, meeting his eyes. "It was worth the risk, Shiro. We needed to know what was going on and that was the only way to find out. Everything worked out in the end."

"You got lucky," Shiro told her. He blanched at his words and ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry, Pidge. I... You don't need a lecture from me, especially when I've done the same. I'm proud of you. Of all of you. You've worked hard to get to this point, even with so many odds stacked against you. Thank you."

Matt laid a hand on his shoulder. "We never would have gotten here without you."

Shiro relaxed at the touch and then nodded to give Ulaz the go-ahead to continue. The process was surprisingly painless as Ulaz and Pidge worked together to attach the new prosthetic, and before long, Shiro was slowly flexing, getting used to the reaction time and the weight of the different material.

"It's light," he noted.

Ulaz nodded. "The original was built with heavy combat in mind. Haggar did intend to turn you into the perfect weapon, after all. You will find that this one is more flexible and better suited to everyday tasks."

"It can still take a beating, but be careful until you know its limits," Pidge advised. "We tried to keep some of the same functions as the original, so you can still access Galra tech, but we weren't able to recreate the weaponized bit. I _did_ give it some pretty nice defensive capabilities that work well with the crystals we used as power sources."

"It's perfect. Thank you," Shiro said sincerely, barely able to take his eyes off of it. For too long he'd lived in fear of what the previous prosthetic was capable of. (A fear that, was it turned out, was not unfounded.) He no longer had to worry.

Matt cleared his throat. "So, Kuro's next, right?"

Keith crossed his arms over his chest and Matt knew he was in for a fight. He _really_ didn't want to argue with his sister's Soulmate, but if that's what it took to get Kuro out of that pod, he would gladly go toe-to-toe with the boy.

Shiro, recognizing the moment Keith was prepared to dig his heels in, quickly derailed the potential fight. "I'd like to meet him."

And with that, no one dared argue. Keith may have grumbled a bit as he helped their fearless leader to the next room, but didn't raise more of a fuss than that. It wasn't long before Shiro was standing in front of the pod, staring up at a face very similar to his own.

For a moment, the room was painfully silent.

"Well, I always wanted a brother. I guess all it took was going to space to get that wish," Shiro joked.

Just like that, the tension was broken. Matt let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as Shiro instructed them to release Kuro. He watched as Pidge and Ulaz were equally as careful with installing Kuro's arm (black casing and a flexible white material covering any exposed areas, the opposite of Shiro's new arm) and _finally_ things felt right again. It would be weird or a while, but Matt was confident they could adjust. They just needed time.

"So what now?" Hunk asked.

Shiro looked around at everyone, his heart warming at the knowledge that even after everything, they still trusted and looked to him at their leader. It was a great honor. "Now we get back to work. We have a universe to save."

* * *

END

* * *

Oh yeah, Antok lived too, btw.

Since I didn't really cover everything I wanted to with this fic, I'm writing two short sequels. The first is for Matt, Shiro, and Kuro ("Inked in Green") and the second will be for Hunk and Shay ("The Balmera's Song"), so be on the lookout for those in the near future. My goal is to finish them before Season 7 airs.


End file.
